Rannals, who has served as a staff assistant for three football coaches and been "a mother to hundreds of players," was diagnosed with breast cancer in February.

In a show of support, the Owls are dedicating this season - at 4-2, off to their best start since 2001 - to Rannals.

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How to donate

A website has been set up for donations to be made at gofundme.com/teamjoyce.

Rice at New Mexico St.

When/where: 7 p.m. Saturday; Las Cruces, N.M.

TV/radio: None; 1560 AM.

They are wearing pink wristbands with the words "Team Joyce."

The back of the Rice football helmets feature a pink ribbon with her initials.

The campaign is the brainchild of junior strong safety Malcolm Hill and redshirt senior safety Broderick Jackson. As part of a project through a sports management class at Rice, the two players began an online donation campaign (gofundme.com/teamjoyce) to raise $5,000 during five games in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, to help offset some of Rannals' medical costs.

A penny for every yard.

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"When somebody close to you is diagnosed with something like this, you want to help out," Hill said. "Any time you can make … an impact in somebody's life, it's a great opportunity you have to take, that you should want to take."

To date, the Team Joyce campaign has raised nearly $3,500 with three games remaining this month against New Mexico State, UTEP and North Texas.

Spreading the word

"(For the team) to have time to think about other people means a lot," Rannals said. "They have a lot of other things on their mind, and to add this to it and be dedicated to it is pretty special."

Since being diagnosed with breast cancer, Rannals has gone through chemotherapy and currently is undergoing radiation therapy.

After Hill and Jackson came up with the idea, the football team began to put things in motion. Defensive coordinator Chris Thurmond asked Rannals for a Bible scripture that holds special meaning. She chose Philippians 4:13: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

"That's a very important scripture to me," she said.

Hill spread the word about the campaign through former players, including former All-America wide receiver Jarett Dillard, the football team parents' group We Give A Hoot and Chuck Pool, assistant athletic director for sports information.

"She truly tries to be a mom to all hundred of the players," Bailiff said. "She is a loved figure around the office. She means the world to us."

Pendant would be nice

Bailiff said Rannals has been a popular motherly figure for the players since taking the job in 2000, many of them returning just to visit her. She previously worked at the University of Houston for Jack Pardee.

"These are 18- to 22-year-olds not thinking about themselves but thinking about how to enrich other people's lives and how to make Rice a better university and this world a better place," Bailiff said.

Rannals met with the team this month to express her gratitude. She jokingly reminded the players she has received two necklace pendants to commemorate the team's bowl appearances.

"I said I need another one of those this year," she said. "I'm looking forward to that."